Israel unveils 1,800 more settler homes

‘OBSTACLE TO PEACE’:The announcement came just after John Kerry finished his latest visit to the region and was condemned by Palestinians, the US and the UN

AFP, JERUSALEM

A Palestinian protester stands in front of flames during clashes with Israeli security forces following a protest of Palestinians against the expansion of the nearby Israeli settlement of Ofra on Friday near the West Bank village of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah.

Photo: AFP

Israel unveiled plans on Friday for more than 1,800 new settler homes in a move the Palestinians said was aimed at forcing Washington to abandon its Middle East peace drive.

The announcement triggered concerns in Washington and at the UN, and came just days after US Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped up his latest visit to the region as part of tireless efforts to coax Israel and the Palestinians toward an elusive peace deal.

The settlement move was widely believed to be an Israeli response to the release 10 days before of a third batch of veteran Palestinian prisoners in accordance with commitments made to Washington last year.

Just days before the 26 prisoners were freed, an Israeli official warned that the government would push ahead with plans for new settler homes as it has done twice previously in a bid to appease hardliners in the right-wing coalition of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Friday’s announcement will see the construction of 1,076 units in annexed east Jerusalem and 801 in the occupied West Bank, a spokesman for Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now told reporters.

“Many of the units will be built in existing settlements such as Efrat and Ariel in the West Bank, and Ramat Shlomo, Ramot and Pisgat Zeev in east Jerusalem,” Amihai added.

The ministry could not be immediately reached for confirmation.

US Department of State spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the step was “not conducive to our efforts to move forward on peace.”

“We consider now and have always considered the settlements to be illegitimate,” she said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was “alarmed” by Israel’s plans.

“Such activity is not only illegal, but also an obstacle to peace,” he said.

Head Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the move proved Israel wanted Kerry to stay away, and was another attempt by Netanyahu to “destroy” the peace process.

“The new settlement construction plan is a message from Netanyahu to Kerry not to come back to the region to continue his efforts in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks,” he told reporters.

“Every time Kerry has stepped up his efforts, returning to the region [for more talks], Netanyahu has stepped up his efforts to destroy the peace process,” he said.

“Netanyahu is determined to destroy the two-state solution,” he added.

Erekat urged the EU in a separate statement to “sever all ties with the Israeli occupation, including companies and institutions involved with the colonization of Palestine.”

The comments came after Dutch pension manager PGGM decided to divest from Israeli banks over their links with settlements in the West Bank.

Peace Now said the construction showed Israel was “fooling” Kerry and the Palestinians over its peace intentions.

“These actions are an indication that this government is not serious about the process, in fact they are fooling the Israeli public, the Palestinian leadership, the US Secretary of State and the international community,” the watchdog said.

Israel had freed the third of four batches of long-serving Palestinian prisoners on Dec. 31, ahead of Kerry’s visit.

The two previous prisoner releases coincided directly with announcements for thousands of new settler homes, but Netanyahu delayed the latest announcement so as not to anger US officials, press reports said.